Shelter Me

by Allyson Charles

  “Carson Lang,” Joe said.

  Everyone looked at him.

  He shrugged. “The firm he works for. It’s Lang, not Long.”

  The back of Sarah’s neck prickled. “And just how do you know that? You didn’t run a background check on him, did you?”

  “I looked through public records, something every woman should do before dating someone new.” He shrugged. “Since the man will be leaving soon, I didn’t feel a full background check was needed this time.”

  “No guy is that nice unless they want something.” Brad flipped one of the kitchen chairs around and straddled it, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he sank down. Connor nodded in agreement. “Trust us. We know.”

  “Aww.” Ellie leaned over and pinched Brad’s cheek before he could jerk away. “They’re looking out for your virtue.”

  The doorbell rang, and Sarah pushed off the counter. “Too late. James has already sampled the wares.” She dug her wallet out of her purse amid a chorus of groans.

  “Do we have to go kick the shit out of him now?” Conner asked.

  Ever the voice of reason, Joe said, “I think this is more of a wait-and-see situation.”

  Sarah headed for the front door. “There will be no beating anyone up,” she called over her shoulder. Really, the fact that even needed to be verbalized in her family was a little sad.

  She paid the pizza guy, giving him an especially big tip after Pumpkin snagged his slacks in her claws and attempted to climb his leg.

  Ellie was right. She should invite James to her place. She was a big girl. So what if she got more attached in the next couple of weeks? He’d leave, she’d feel sad for a while, but she’d have memories of some excellent sex to warm her up. It seemed like a solid tradeoff.

  Carrying the pizza boxes back to the kitchen, she couldn’t wipe the smile from her lips. Even going back to face the triumvirate of judge, jury, and executioner, as she and Ellie had come to call their brothers when it came to their dating lives, couldn’t dampen her mood.

  If the stars aligned, tonight was going to be a very fine night indeed.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I can’t?” Sarah pushed away from James’s side. “I can’t buy him a phone? I think you want to rethink your words there, buddy.” She shook her head. Training James out of his bad habits was proving harder than anticipated, but his next girlfriend would appreciate her effort.

  She swallowed. She was being an adult, accepting that what she and James had was limited, but maybe she didn’t need to think about him finding someone new just yet.

  She dropped her plate, heavy with a large slice of chocolate cake, on her cluttered coffee table. James had been sweet, bringing over take-out and dessert, and he seemed as eager as she was to get back to their smexy times. To that end, they’d been snuggled on the sofa, kissing chocolate off each other’s lips.

  Until James had to turn into his typical opinionated self.

  “Why should you buy the man a several hundred-dollar smart phone?” He stretched his long legs out, crossing his ankles, his bare feet resting on the coffee table. His slice of chocolate cake rested on the lap of his khakis. “He’s not yours to support.”

  She put a couple inches between their bodies, immediately missing his warmth. “Harry’s on a fixed income.”

  “His car is nicer than your piece of crap hatchback.”

  Heat blossomed in her chest, rising steadily until it felt like her head was about to erupt. No one dissed her car. Not even sexy accountants who’d given her free business help. Her car had been with her since she’d bought him used in college. Taken her across the country twice. Been with her through veterinarian school. She had stronger feelings for that car than she had for most of her boyfriends.

  “Don’t talk about Elvis that way.” She watched as a forkful of cake paused halfway to his mouth. James was a hairbreadth’s away from getting chocolate cake smashed in his face, and he didn’t even seem to realize it.

  “Elvis? You named your car?” One side of his lips twitched.

  A different kind of heat flushed her cheeks. She squirmed in her seat. “That’s not unusual. Lots of people name their cars.”

  “Uh huh.” He trailed his fingers down her braid and coiled the end around his fingers. “Does everyone name their car after music royalty?”

  “The previous owner had left one of his CDs in the—” She blew out a breath. “That doesn’t matter. Are you always going to be this judgmental?”

  “Probably.” He tugged her head close to his. “But I judge you adorable so don’t worry about it.”

  She melted back into his body. Damn, his mouth was a two-edged sword. Ticking her off one second, getting under her defenses the next. She opened to him, tasting cocoa and coffee on his lips. He slid his tongue against hers and every hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

  His mouth really was incredible.

  Huckleberry crept under the coffee table. Rising, he placed both of his front paws on James’s leg. As James moved that talented mouth down her neck, she watched Huck swipe a paw through his cake’s icing.

  “Your cake has been stolen.” She arched, giving him access to the spot where her neck met her shoulder.

  “S’okay,” he murmured against her skin. “I’ve got my teeth in something sweeter.”

  She shuddered at the sharp nip.

  Without taking his mouth off her, James picked up his plate and put it on the coffee table. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned back, pulling her over his chest to lie lengthwise across the sofa.

  A sharp yowl jerked him back upright. With a sigh, James shifted Pumpkin to the floor before pulling her back down. “You know, you don’t have to take in every stray that comes across your path.”

  “Pumpkin, Huck, and Clementine weren’t strays. I adopted them as kittens.” Their mother had been found dead next to them, having lost a fight with a bigger animal. The man who’d found them and brought them into her office didn’t want them, and the shelter had been full up. What else was she supposed to do?

  He nuzzled her neck. “The cats are fine. They weren’t who I was talking about.”

  “Son of a—” She struggled against his grip but he held on tighter. “I can’t believe you’re bringing up Harry now. He is not a stray I’m taking in.” Her animals were a lot more fun to be around. She grimaced at the disloyal thought.

  “Isn’t he?” His hands roamed under her t-shirt, and she slapped them away. “You’re feeding him, housing him, and buying him things. Honey, I know mistresses who don’t get as good treatment.”

  Her jaw dropped. “You…you insufferable…a-hole!”

  He chuckled. “A-hole? We’re getting closer to you using a big-girl word.”

  Oh…! Pinching her lips together, she wriggled off him. “Listen up and listen good, James Marshall. I will offer shelter, or phones, to whatever and whomever I choose.”

  He brushed a stray hair off her cheek. “You can’t buy love, Sarah.”

  A kernel of fear bloomed in her stomach. Her breaths grew ragged. She wasn’t trying to buy anyone’s affection. She wasn’t trying to insure no one ever left her. That would be stupid. That would be like admitting that she still felt guilt over her mom’s death, which would be completely irrational and she wasn’t an irrational person.

  She’d been a kid. So what if her parents had left a party early because she’d been sick. If she’d been better, if she hadn’t complained to the babysitter, her parents would have stayed at their party another couple of hours and the drunk driver wouldn’t have—

  She turned her head, blinking at the burn in her eyes. She was an adult now. She knew better than to blame herself for things out of her control. She wasn’t letting her past hang-ups affect her relationships today. Not with Harry, not with anyone. And she wouldn’t let James, a man who’d known her for less than a month, convince her otherwise.

  James tucked his fingers under
the hem of her shirt, his touch burning against her stomach. She encircled his wrists and yanked his hands over his head, pressing them into the armrest. The flare of his eyes only made her grip him harder. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. Got that? And I’m not trying to buy Harry’s love. And if you…why are you smiling?”

  “Because I like you feisty. I like when you stand up for yourself, even though you’re wrong.” He brushed his lips against hers.

  Warmth flooded her chest. She liked her new attitude, too. James had given her the confidence to speak her mind with him. Or he’d been so annoying that she wasn’t able to bite her tongue. She wouldn’t admit she liked the changes he brought out, however. Not now. He was already too cocky by half.

  She tried to look stern. “I’m not wrong.”

  “Yes, you are.” His lazy smile took the bite out of the words. “But you’re sexy as hell when you go all take-charge.” He rolled, pulling his hands from her grasp to catch her before she hit the floor and taking them down slowly.

  Lowering his hips to settle between her legs, he flashed her a smile that was all too smug. Frowning, she bucked her hips and rolled again, taking the both of them crashing into the coffee table, scattering irritated cats. Flushed and breathing hard, she straddled his waist and settled her weight over him. “Ha!”

  Triumph warmed her from the inside out. Not only at her wrestling prowess—for that she’d have to credit growing up with three brothers—but at the fact that she was speaking more freely. Saying what was on her mind instead of biting her tongue.

  And James wasn’t leaving her because of it.

  One broad hand squeezed her butt. “You got me, baby. Now what are you going to do with me?”

  Rats, he’d let her win. She pressed her lips together then sighed. She really couldn’t complain. The high from allowing herself to fight back still flowed through her veins. A gorgeous man was between her thighs, hers for the taking. And she was eager to take.

  He rocked his hips, and she dropped her head back to whimper in pleasure. She ground against him, loving the curse that came from his mouth, the heat in his eyes.

  She did that to him, and the heady rush she got from her power was pretty flippin’ fantastic.

  His fingers fumbled with the hem of her t-shirt, and she helped him drag it over her head.

  James pulled down the cups of her cotton bra, causing her breasts to plump over them. He filled his hands, circling her nipples with his thumbs.

  Sarah let her own hands explore. She unbuttoned his white shirt, spreading the ends to admire what lay beneath. James was strong, built, but without the creepy veins or bulging muscles of a dedicated gym rat. He had the perfect amount of chest hair, not too much, not too little. If she’d been Goldilocks, it would definitely be his bed she’d want to crawl into.

  His erection pressed against her, and the need to get this man naked became overwhelming. She shoved at the shoulders of his shirt, but the ground thwarted her attempts. “Up,” she demanded.

  Quick to obey, he jackknifed to sitting and shrugged out of the shirt. He lay back on his elbows and looked up at her from heavy-lidded eyes. “You’re going to have to get my pants. A person should work for their spoils.”

  She flicked open the snap and eased the zipper over the hard bulge trying to escape his briefs. She cupped him through his underwear and squeezed lightly. “I would hardly call this work.”

  He fell back to the floor and groaned. “You can call it whatever you want as long as you don’t stop.”

  Well, that wouldn’t be a problem. She had no intention of stopping. Not until she had to. Not until he left.

  She shook off that dark thought. She needed to live in the here and now. James was here in her living room, and now—she scraped her teeth along his pec muscle—was the perfect time to have a little fun.

  She hooked her fingers under his jockeys and pulled them down with his pants. She tugged them off his ankles and stared at her prize. She crawled back over him, her braid dragging up his stomach.

  He fisted his hands. “Sweet Jesus. Do that again.”

  “What?” Plucking at her braid, she used the tip to trace patterns over his skin. “This?”

  He gripped her hips with both hands, pulling the gusset of her jeans along his erection. “I don’t know what it is about that damn braid.”

  “It seems like the braid has a thing for you, too.” She circled the flat disks of his nipples. Loved watching his muscles flex under each caress. Adored how his gaze tracked every one of her movements, like he couldn’t bear to look away from her.

  She pressed an open-mouthed kiss to his throat. Her breasts brushed across his chest, his hair scratching her nipples, sending a shiver straight through her. She circled her hips over his length, her panties getting wetter and wetter. She licked her way up to his ear and sucked the lobe into her mouth.

  The groan vibrated from his chest. “Put me out of my misery. I’m begging you.”

  “Condom?” she asked.

  “Somewhere.” At the next movement of her hips, his eyes rolled back. He waved a finger to the floor near his ankles. “Pants.”

  She’d reduced him to one-word sentences. She grinned, standing and quickly shucking her clothes. His eyes ate her up, the look in them unmistakable. Whatever her flaws, he found her beautiful. He wanted her, little Sarah Martineau, the boring one of her family, the sibling most likely to be forgotten.

  They didn’t have much time together. She bit her lip. She wanted the time they had left to be special, as good as she could make it. She looked down at his pants, hesitated.

  He rolled up and reached for her hand. “Baby.” It was a warning, a plea not to keep him waiting.

  She gave him her hand and knelt beside him. “I’m on birth control. If you want…” She’d never had this talk with a boyfriend before. She’d gone to medical school. This shouldn’t be difficult, but it was. This meant something, at least to her, going without a condom.

  Luckily, he picked up on the basic idea. “Yes. Fuck yes, I want.” He trailed his fingers up her spine, electricity sparking at each vertebrae he touched. “You know I’d never hurt you, right?”

  She nodded. Without taking her eyes from his, she straddled his hips and reached for his cock. She positioned him at her entrance and slowly sank down.

  A muscle spasmed in his jaw. Someone whimpered, she didn’t know who. This position let him go deep. He was hot and throbbing, snug within her, and she never wanted him to leave.

  “You’ve got to move, baby.” He tugged on her braid, pulling the elastic off the end. “I can’t take being inside you without moving.”

  “You’ll take what I give you.” She didn’t know where this aggressive side of her came from. Something about James brought it out. Taking pity, she eased her hips up before beginning another long descent.

  She kept it slow for as long as she could. They’d interlocked their hands and just watched each other as she rocked up and down. It was the most intimate moment of her life. She was surprised James didn’t take control of the pace, flip them over, take them to completion.

  Maybe he felt this was more than just sex, too.

  Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer. Her core ached, demanding more. She slammed down on him, her movements becoming rough, erratic. Her breasts bounced, and James raised his head, guiding one to his lips. He sucked on her nipple, and her hips froze as she arched into his mouth. Pleasure arrowed to her core.

  He reached for her other breast. “Don’t stop now,” he growled.

  She raised her hips, then paused again as he latched onto her other nipple. Her eyes slid shut. “Then stop…doing that. God, don’t stop.”

  He scored her flesh with his teeth. “Learn to multi-task or I’m taking over.” With one hand on her back to keep her close, he used his other hand to guide her hips, get her back on track.

  It was hard with her brain splintering in different directions, b
ut her body found its pattern. Her braid unraveled with each bounce until her hair draped over James.

  He lay back, eyes closed, a grimace somewhere between a smile and pain on his face. He reached for her hands again, lacing their fingers so they were palm to palm.

  Her body wound tighter. Her knuckles went white as she held onto him like he was a lifeline. “James?”

  “I know, baby.” He met her downslide with a thrust, his breathing ragged. “Let go for me. I’ve got you.”

  She threw her head back and moaned. Her core clamped around his cock, ecstasy spirally outward, stealing her breath and curling her toes. James kept thrusting into her, lengthening her orgasm, until she tipped forward, covering him like a blanket, completely spent.

  James wrapped his arms around her and groaned. Wet heat flooded her, and she smiled at the novel sensation. James shuddered beneath her, his cock twitching. He gave one last thrust before sagging into the carpet. His body went as limp as a cooked noodle, except for his arms which never loosened their grip.

  She rested her cheek on his chest. She scratched her fingers idly through the thatch of hair by her face. His heart pounded beneath her ear, the beat lulling her to sleep.

  A paw prodded her hip, but she ignored Huck. She knew it must be Huck. He was the pushy one. But she didn’t want to move, even to appease her pet. The moment felt too perfect. When they moved, separated, got up, it would disappear.

  So she held on, knowing why this moment felt so different from past post-coital cuddles.

  This hadn’t been just sex. This was making love. The first time she’d ever made love. She’d cared for past boyfriends, but it had never felt like this.

  So she held on. And dreaded the day James would leave.

  Her life was here, in Shelter Bay. She couldn’t imagine ever living away from her family.

  And James…well, he’d made it clear he didn’t belong here.

  So she held him tighter and focused on living in the moment. These memories she was creating would have to be enough.

  They’d be all she had.